IT Tech Tips

Every business needs the right tools to get the job done and to keep your team on track. But juggling multiple apps and software can be a nightmare when trying to keep information streamlined and easily accessible. That’s where Microsoft Teams for small businesses comes into play. In this article, we’ll explore the 10 best Microsoft Teams hacks so everyone in your company has everything they need at their fingertips.  The 10 Best Microsoft Teams Hacks For Small Businesses 1) Share And Co-Edit Files The demand for coworking capabilities has risen in recent years. And while modern working conventions have dictated the need for more collaborative software, there are real statistics to back up the benefits of co-editing.  According to a study from Deloitte, “When workers collaborate, 73% do better work, 60% are more innovative, 56% feel more satisfied, and 15% work faster.”  Microsoft Teams understands this and has continued to develop its ability to share and co-edit files. With 10 GB of cloud storage per user, it’s easier than ever to work on documents with others no matter where you are.  You can also quickly share document files by attaching them to a chat within Microsoft Teams so there’s no need for extra emails to share information. 2) Filter Messages  Along with our previous point, running an efficient business often means having messaging software that can keep up. However, it can be overwhelming when you have a sea of messages and no way to mark or find what you’re looking for.  Not anymore. With Microsoft Teams, you’re able to filter messages and find exactly what you need. This replaces the need to use an additional messaging service, such as Slack, and keeps everything within one comprehensive platform.  This eliminates the headache of switching back and forth between platforms and having to have multiple windows open all the time to get work done.  3) Host Meetings Hosting meetings is another huge capability of Microsoft Teams. The software allows you to schedule virtual meetings with hundreds of participants at a time. That means you have everything you and your team need, no matter the size of your business. Recent updates have also expanded the ability for co-hosting breakout rooms as well. More features mean more ways for your team to connect! 4) Live Translated Captions  2023 updates for Microsoft Teams have increased accessibility as well. For example, there’s a new setting you can toggle on and off that will allow for live translated captions to appear during meetings.   The system will save your settings for every meeting, or you can simply toggle it off when you no longer need it. The choice is ultimately yours. You can also get the meeting transcripts when done to quickly review just the one part you were looking for! 5) Chat Features  One of the best features of the Microsoft Teams experience is the chat. With unlimited chats and the ability to filter through them, as we mentioned earlier, your team can have important conversations while also getting work done in the same place. New this year, the platform now allows you to delete chats on your end while leaving them open on the other person’s when you no longer need the information. In addition, you can easily add people to existing conversations, and AI technology can suggest who you might want to talk to next. These features make it easier than ever to collaborate with others and keep everyone on the same page. 6) Picture-In-Picture Functionality  Not every meeting needs your full attention. Teams have picture-in-picture functionality that allows you to have a meeting playing while you are doing other things.  That means you don’t have to put down other work while you’re on less important calls and can multitask.  7) Do Not Disturb In addition to picture-in-picture display options, there are other ways you can value your time with Microsoft Teams settings.  This platform allows you to toggle on “do not disturb” when you need to step away from your desk, are taking a vacation, or going home/logging off at the end of the day.  There are plenty of things that can wait until tomorrow, and you deserve to set healthy boundaries when it comes to getting work done and taking time for yourself and your family.  8) Data Encryption When you’re using an all-in-one comprehensive platform, a lot of information is exchanged. Between attaching important documents to chat threads to day-to-day communications, you need to know that all your information and your client’s information is safe.  Microsoft Teams has you covered. With data encryption, you don’t have to worry about private information leaking on the internet. That means peace of mind for you and everything you work with. 9) Multi-Question Polls The last feature we’ll mention that’s new in 2023 is the ability to have multi-question polls within a meeting. This gives you more flexibility to ask the questions you need and gives you an easy place to collect that data. It’s never been easier to run a meeting and gather information. 10) Save MONEY (Thousands a month!) Most businesses already have Microsoft Teams included in their current software package and can save a lot of money by eliminating redundant services. Paying for dozens (or hundreds) of employee licenses for Slack, Zoom, Monday, Basecamp and more may be a thing of the past using the features already included in Microsoft Teams. Many companies we look at are needlessly spending tens of thousands or more on these other services and that money goes straight to the bottom line.  Microsoft Teams For The Win Whether you’re looking for a solution to messaging, collaborative working, video calls, document sharing, or accessibility features within your organization, Microsoft Teams can help your small business accomplish exactly what you need.  With these 10 features — and many more — you will be better equipped to work together as a team and won’t have to waste time cobbling together multiple apps along the way.  Centrend Inc. specializes in working with small businesses to make them more productive and profitable while keeping their data and business protected. To see what we can do for you, click here https://calendar.app.google/jSA1tteBxFJKnJkX6 or go to: www.centrend.com to schedule a quick discovery call.

There are two types of people…which one are you? The frustrated, constant updater: You find yourself having to constantly click on “Forgot My Password” and verify your account, check your texts, scan a finger (give a pint of blood…maybe not that one) so you can reset your password. And it’s probably a brand-new one because you can’t use one you’ve used before, so this situation will happen again and again and again. The weary optimist: You use the same password for every site, even though you know you shouldn’t because you’re tired of dealing with the above situation. This makes it SUPER-easy for hackers because chances are your password is available for sale on the dark web right now. But…you HOPE this doesn’t happen to you or you think you’re too small to worry about this because they only care about the “big fish.” If you’re Person Type 1, it’s annoying, time-consuming, and frustrating. If you’re Person Type 2, it’s only a matter of time before you’re hacked, and it doesn’t end with you but can affect any business computers you use that lead to access of client, customer, or patient records, and the results can be a total disaster. But there’s a simple solution. A password manager. A password manager is like a digital vault. Your passwords, addresses, payment info, and logins are encrypted in the software. You will have one master password you use to “unlock the vault.” If the password manager gets breached, your data is not at stake because your master password is either stored on a server and encrypted or it’s stored locally on your computer. What’s the difference between using a password manager and one that’s included on your web browser, such as storing that information in Chrome or Safari? The biggest difference is that browser storage cannot be shared with others. For those who work in an office and need to collaborate with teammates, most password managers let you encrypt the data to pass along if someone else needs to access a site. If you have data stored on your browser and then, for instance, decide to make a purchase through the Instagram app, that credit card data will not pass through since it’s outside the browser. There are free and paid versions, and they each have some pros and cons. Here’s a quick breakdown of the four we get asked about most. Bitwarden – Free forever. That free version contains unlimited passwords on unlimited devices, with the ability to share with one other user. For $10/year, you can add two-factor authentication and security reports. And if you’re looking to join a team, you can do so for as little as $3/month per user. If you’re moving from a different password manager, you can import logins without having to copy and paste each individually. LastPass – LastPass does not store your master password on their servers. The free version only includes one device, and for $3/month for premium, you also get 1 GB of storage to back up sensitive documents such as passports, home and car titles, wills, etc. Their team version is $4/month per user. 1Password – Just like LastPass, this software offers a free Chrome extension so it can autofill on sites without you having to do anything. It works on Edge and Brave as well. While there is no free version, for $2.99/month you can try free first for 14 days. One neat feature is to go into travel mode, so you can pull sensitive data from your device before you travel and then restore it once you’re back home, with just one click. Keeper – Winner of PC Mag’s Best Of The Year for 2021. For $2.92/month, you get unlimited password storage on unlimited devices, with sync features. This software also allows for fingerprint and face ID logins, so there is one fewer password to remember. Families can use it for $6.25/month and share streaming and WiFi passwords too. If you would like to set up a password manager for your business, schedule a call with our team by calling 774-241-8600.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSQiydksJuE So many things we use on our computers will automatically add themselves to the startup. While some of these are important, most of the time they are unwelcome party crashers that slow your computer down. In this podcast episode, I’ll show you how to evaluate the programs that startup with Windows 10 and how to safely stop them from intruding on your machine. The most important thing to remember here is that you are not going to break anything permanently by stopping them from starting when your system loads. That said, you may get unexpected warnings or errors if you run the programs they are associated with. These errors are not permanent though and usually, the program you are running will start the required background process they need either automatically or with just a mouse click of “Yes or OK” on your part. Once you’ve followed along with this blog entry, you will be able to have complete command and control over what is allowed to run at startup and you’ll have the confidence to be your own gatekeeper going forward. We’ll start by opening Task Manager. Open it by right-clicking in the taskbar area at the bottom of Windows. Left-click on Task Manager. The task manager will open the Process Tab. Click the Startup button to have a look at the programs that are set to start automatically when Windows fires up. Now review each program and look at the Status column to tell you if it is currently enabled. Next to that is a column called Startup Impact. This is Windows’s assessment of how much of a chore it is to run that program at startup. Pay particular attention to items with a High or even Medium startup impact. You can right-click the item and left-click on Disable to stop that item from starting automatically with Windows. There is also a toggle in the lower right corner but I like to use right-click because that is also how you can quickly access the Search online feature.  The Search online feature will “google” that program so you can quickly research the ones you aren’t sure you should disable. Remember you can’t break anything by disabling these things as most programs will launch the things they need or give an error message that is resolved by reenabling it. A notable exception would be programs like Dropbox of MS One-drive. If you use these cloud services take caution disabling them because if you do, your data will not be syncing automatically with the cloud. So what are you waiting for? Take back control of your startup programs starting right now.  As always, give us a shout or drop us a message with our contact form if we can help.

In today’s video blog, I show you how you can snap windows to the corners of your display essentially creating a multi-monitor effect on a single screen. It’s really handy when you need to look at two different windows at the same time. We’ll start with positioning two windows on the screen. Switch to the application you’d like to have on the right panel. If the application is full screen, click the window toggle to the left of the X you could use to close the window. Then drag the application to the right-hand edge of the screen: When you let it go, the window resizes and snaps to the right half of the screen. The left side transforms to a selection of all the other windows you have open. You can then choose the application window you’d like to have a snap to the left side by clicking on it. When you make your selection, you’ll have both application windows sharing the screen. As I show below, I have Word snapped to the right side and Excel on the left side. If instead of using the side of the screen, you can snap applications to the corners which will let you have up to four items snapped on the same display! See my example below of a four-way split between a file folder, a Word document, my Passport PBS ERP system, and MS Excel. Using the techniques I’ve just shown you, you can take better care of your screen real estate!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9Kx9rND6x4 Passwords are a hassle, no doubt about it! In this blog post and video, I show you how to set up a password manager to help control password chaos. There are two tools that we recommend for managing passwords. One is LastPass, which is a cloud-based solution.  The other password manager I’ll show is Keepass for which the data files are stored locally on your computer. LastPass To get started with LastPass, go to www.lastpass.com. Before we download it, let’s review Plans and Pricing. LastPass is free to use for keeping track of an unlimited number of passwords on your desktop OR your mobile device. You need to pay for the premium version if you want to use it on both your mobile device and your computer. The premium version is also very handy for storing sensitive documents because it comes with a gigabyte of encrypted storage space. Scans of your driver’s license, bank account details, passport info, etc. are the types of things uploaded to their document vault. I recommend starting with the free version to get started. Follow the prompts to create an account. KEEP CAREFUL TRACK of this password as it is your master password. They call it the “LAST PASSword you will ever need.”  There are strong complexity requirements so keep an eye on the real-time feedback the systems give you as you create the Master Password. Click “Sign Up It’s Free” and your account is then created. Follow the link to install the LastPass extension to your browser. You are then in your vault and you can click the Plus option to add items to your vault. With the extension installed, it will automatically prompt you to store passwords for you as you use your browser to log into various sites. When you click a web-based item in your vault or from the extension in the web browser (see below), LastPass will launch the site in a new web browser window and log you in! KeePass Some people are not comfortable storing sensitive data such as passwords and credit card information in the cloud. For anyone with that concern, I recommend KeePass. KeePass stores the files locally. Be sure to make it part of your backup plan so you don’t lose the file if your computer crashes! To download, go to keepass.info/download.html and click the download link for KeePass 2.x (KeePass 2.47 at the time of this post) Click at the bottom to run the application once it’s downloaded:  Choose your language preference and accept the defaults on the next screen. It’s a good idea to create a Desktop shortcut and Quick Launch shortcut and leave all other defaults. Once it’s installed, you’ll create a database. Click the New icon just below the File menu option in the top left of the application. The database is the repository where all your passwords can go. You might save it in your documents folder. Again, be very careful as to where you store this as you’ll need to make sure you back it up regularly. Create the master password. Enter a strong password and use the Estimated Quality bar for feedback as to how strong the master password is getting to be. You are looking to be in the green: After you have finished creating the master password, you will be prompted to print an emergency sheet. The emergency sheet is used to recover your database, should you lose your master key. In the application, click the picture of the key to add a new entry. Put in the details for the new entry. Be sure to put in the URL so you can use features in Keypass to open the site and then put in the name and password for you. To visit the site and have it log you in, there are three steps. First, click the entry in the list of keys that have been added.   Next, click the little globe icon. A browser will open to the URL you entered for that Keypass entry. Finally, switch back to the Keypass application, press and hold CTRL and press the V key. This performs Keypass’s autotype function which types the login name and password in for you. I hope you found this post on password management helpful and that you use one of these tools to control your own password chaos.  If you need additional help installing or using these applications, please email or give us a call!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqXYClyi-gc Using a UV Sanitizer is an easy and safe way to protect yourself from germs lingering on your electronics. In this blog post, I show you how to use two different devices designed to keep you safe. First, the phone soap.  This is a very slick device designed to sanitize your phone specifically, though you can put other things in there, too, such as your wallet, credit card, or keys. Just so long as the lid closes, the sanitization cycle will begin to clean whatever is in there. The Phone soap appliance I’m using here has Qi wireless charging, so you can actually charge your phone while it sanitizes. Though the cycle is only 10 minutes long, it’s easy to get caught up doing other things, and comforting to know the phone is charging while it sanitizes. If your phone doesn’t support Qi wireless charging, there is a small cut-out on the end where you can route your charging cable to plug it in while the sanitization cycle commences. You can find this appliance and many other options by this same great company at https://www.phonesoap.com/. If you are looking for something larger, take a look at the Hy-Genie Collapsible UV Sanitizer.  This unit collapses down to fit in your luggage, so it’s ideal for travel. It sanitizes everything you load up in there in just three minutes. As with the Phone soap, the gear does not have to be turned off to be sanitized. I put my Kindle, eyeglasses, phone, and Earbuds in there all at the same time with plenty of room. You can find this device at https://morningsave.com/deals/hy-genie-large-uv-c-sanitizing-collapsible-travel-bag-3 If you enjoyed this review, please drop me an email, submit the contact form, or otherwise let me know and I’ll post some more for you.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW7FhDMmzNY Multi-factor authentication is a very secure process of keeping your sensitive data private. In this blog, I explain in simple terms what Multi-factor authentication is, why you should use it where available, and how you can use it to keep your data private. First, what is Multi-factor authentication and why is it so strong? Think of Multi-factor authentication as a temporary, second password. Where can you use multi-factor authentication? Multi-factor authentication is commonly used by banks but more and more websites and other services are catching on to it. Here are a few areas you’re likely able to use Multi-factor authentication or, MFA for short: Bank Account Log-ins Facebook Gmail or Microsoft accounts. Mortgage or Car Payment websites Any site or service that requires a high degree of trust How Multi-factor Authentication Works When you log into a website, for example, before you are granted access, you are required to enter a second password. See the diagram below: Step 1: Log into the website.Behind the scenes, the website sends a code to either your cell phone via text message, your email account, or your Authenticator App as I demonstrate in the Video Blog post. Step 2: You enter the code into the website and you are then granted access. You must enter this code within a certain time limit or you’ll need to start the login process again. Many sites will allow you to establish more than one method of receiving the code. This is great for times when you don’t have your cell phone handy but you can get to your computer. Where Can You Find the Settings? Different websites call multi-factor authentication different things. They may also refer to it as 2-step verification or 2-factor authentication. It all means the same thing for our purposes. Check these areas and if multi-factor authentication is offered, you should be able to find it: My Account User Profile App Settings App Preferences Security Settings So the next time you are on a website or accessing a service that you feel you would really like to protect, check whether it offers multi-factor authentication. It’s a great way to keep your data safe and your online information private. If you ever need help with any aspect of cybersecurity or online privacy, please reach out to us for a free consultation or security assessment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT298DBYG8Y Technology Tips By Centrend Podcast: Episode #6 Don’t you admire the professional look of a well-crafted email signature? Much more than just a name, a well-designed email signature is a block of text and graphics representing you and your brand. In this video podcast, I will show you how to create professional-looking email signatures in two of the most popular email clients; Gmail and Outlook. We’ll start with Gmail, then do the same thing in Outlook. In Gmail, click the Gear in the top right, next to your icon/avatar. The basic visual settings appear. Click See All Settings. You’ll be on the general tab. Scroll down quite a ways till you see Signatures. You can edit an existing one here if you decide to change it later. Since this is our first time creating a signature for this Gmail account, click Create New. Give it a name. You’ll see in a minute that you can create different signatures for replying vs. new messages. You can also change the signature on the fly when you create or reply to a message. This can be useful if you sometimes want to include your cell phone as a contact number, but by default, use your office number in signatures. I called mine Centrend. Click the pencil icon to edit the signature name if you want to change it. The box to the right of the signature is where you create what you want the signature block to be. Type your signature as you’d like it to appear. I’ll start with my Name. Then add my title. Then my phone number and extension. The content is correct, but it looks boring. I’m going to choose one of the other fonts Gmail allows and make my name bold. First, I highlight all the text and then click the dropdown that says “Sans Serif” I can then change it to any listed font. I’ll choose the Tahoma. It’s looking better, but the signature is very small.  With the signature text still highlighted, I’ll click the Text Size icon and increase it from Normal To Large. The text is now the way I’d like it to be, but I want to finish up the signature with my logo at the bottom. Clicking the Image icon gives me a photo selector. Because this is Gmail, it’s integrated tightly with google drive, so if I have my logo already on Google Drive, I can choose it from the list or search for it. The Centrend logo that I need is on my local computer, so I click upload. From here, I can find it on my computer and just drag it into the block to show to upload it into Gmail. Now that image appears below my signature. If you don’t want to set your signature to always appear, you can insert the signature from the bottom right of the compose window by clicking the Pen icon. If you are like me, you will probably want your signature to appear automatically when you create a new message, reply to a message, or both. Right below the Signature you just created, you can choose a signature to default for New Email messages or when you reply/forward a message. Just choose it from the drop-down as shown. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Settings to save your new signature and defaults. That covers Gmail signatures. Now let’s take a look at how to create a signature in Outlook.  Note the version of Outlook you are running might be slightly different, but the concept and general location of everything I’m showing you are the same. In Microsoft Outlook, Pull down the File menu and choose Options. Choose Mail – in the menu on the left. Then click the Signature button. Your signatures will open.  Click New and give the signature a name. In the window below, you can type the signature as you want it to appear. To make it fancier, you can highlight the text and click the drop-down to edit the font. Notice you have access to all the Windows fonts instead of the limited font selection Google’s Gmail offers. You can click Insert picture, to insert a logo. A Windows Explorer Dialogue box opens so you can select the image from a folder on your computer. Click Save, and then the signature will be available to choose for New message or reply/forward. If you have any trouble creating or managing your signature, reach out to us, and we’re glad to help.

With the threat of coronavirus (COVID-19) all around us, we are all being more diligent about wiping down our work areas. One of the highest touch areas in your environment is your keyboard, mouse, and touch screens. If you’re a customer of Centrend, I already have the inside of your computer covered with strong antivirus software. So here’s how to keep your stuff clear of the other types of viruses. Important note: Off-the-shelf brands of “electronic wipes” are NOT disinfectants unless they specifically say so. At the left is an image of a common one that is NOT a disinfectant. It may wipe away the virus but if there is any left on the surface, it will stay alive. I recommend using Isopropyl alcohol. The CDC recommends the solution have at least 70% alcohol content. The one I use is pictured at right. Mine is 91% but as long as you are 70% it should be effective. So how to disinfect your equipment with these products? It will depend on the specific equipment so I’ll go through each category one by one. Screens & Phones Make sure the device is off. Always apply the solution to a cloth and don’t spray the equipment directly Use a MicroFiber to make sure dust and lint don’t collect on the screen. If the screen appears physically dirty, you may want to clean it with a paper towel or other soft cloth and save the microfiber for after. If your Microfiber cloth gets dirty, you can wash it with mild detergent and a soft-bristled brush like an old toothbrush. Dry the screen or wait till it is dry to turn it on again. Keyboard Unplug your keyboard from the computer or shut it off if it is wireless. Hold it upside down over a trash can and give it a few shakes. This will knock food crumbs and other particles out of the keyboard. You can use compressed air to help blow out crumbs. Just don’t hit it too hard with the air stream or you will blow keys off the keyboard! Apply the cleaning solution to the cloth. Never spray solutions directly onto the keyboard. To get in between the keys, you can use a cotton swab (Q-Tip) that you dip in the solution. Be sure there isn’t so much solution on the swab that it drips into the keyboard. Mouse or Touchpad Unplug your mouse from the computer or shut it off if it’s wireless. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, hold it upside down and spin it a few times to get any loose particles out of the inside. Apply the cleaning / disinfecting solution to a cloth and be sure it’s not too saturated. Your mouse has openings that you can’t let the liquid run into. Let the mouse dry before plugging it back in or turning it on again. I hope you’ve enjoyed my article and it helps you stay safe and healthy!